Reciprocating internal combustion engine with two-stage exhaust system

Abstract

Two-stage exhaust apparatus for a reciprocating internal combustion engine having one or more cylinders each with at least one piston and at least one exhaust port, the apparatus including a first-stage jet port in each cylinder, the jet port configured to open to release high-pressure exhaust gas to a high-pressure motor prior to exhaust-port opening.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A reciprocating internal combustion engine having (a) one or more cylinders each with at least one piston, each cylinder having a cylinder wall, (b) one high-pressure motor for each cylinder, each high-pressure motor integral with and attached in direct contact with its respective cylinder wall, (c) a crankshaft from which conventional mechanical power is derived, and (d) two-stage exhaust apparatus having in each cylinder (i) at least one exhaust port to release low-pressure residual exhaust gas directly to the atmosphere and (ii) a jet port configured to open to release high-pressure exhaust gas to its corresponding high-pressure motor, the jet port opened only by being uncovered by the position of the piston in the cylinder, jet-port volume being sized to prevent expansion and cooling of exhaust gases released to the high-pressure motor, the exhaust-gas release being prior to exhaust-port opening in order to recover additional power from the engine non-parasitically, without loss of mechanical power from the crankshaft. 
     
     
       2. The reciprocating internal combustion engine of  claim 1  wherein there are more than one of the cylinders. 
     
     
       3. The reciprocating internal combustion engine of  claim 2  wherein each of the high-pressure motors is a high-pressure turbine. 
     
     
       4. The reciprocating internal combustion engine of  claim 3  wherein each of the high-pressure turbines includes:
 a case including (a) a cylindrical inner surface, (b) a turbine-inlet conduit formed by the jet port aligned substantially tangential to and terminating at the inner surface, and (c) a turbine-exhaust outlet diverging in cross-section from the inner surface; and 
 a cylindrical rotor having two side walls on opposite sides of the rotor and a peripheral surface rotationally-engaged with the inner surface, the side walls and peripheral surface forming a plurality of angled chambers in the rotor, the peripheral surface and the chambers defining a plurality of circumferentially-spaced chamber openings and between-chamber lands on the peripheral surface, each land configured to close the turbine-exhaust outlet, each chamber having a closed bottom, and each chamber having progressively smaller cross-sectional dimensions toward the chamber opening such that each chamber and the turbine-exhaust outlet, when in communication, form a converging-diverging nozzle. 
 
     
     
       5. The reciprocating internal combustion engine of  claim 4  wherein the progressively smaller cross-sectional dimensions extend toward the chamber opening along a majority of the chamber depth. 
     
     
       6. The reciprocating internal combustion engine of  claim 4  wherein the turbine-exhaust outlets exhaust to atmospheric pressure. 
     
     
       7. The reciprocating internal combustion engine of  claim 2  further including an electrical alternator driven by the high-pressure motors, whereby the engine produces an electrical power output. 
     
     
       8. The reciprocating internal combustion engine of  claim 2  wherein the engine is a four-stroke engine. 
     
     
       9. The reciprocating internal combustion engine of  claim 8  wherein the jet ports are each controlled by a corresponding valve. 
     
     
       10. The reciprocating internal combustion engine of  claim 2  wherein the engine is a two-stroke engine. 
     
     
       11. The reciprocating internal combustion engine of  claim 10  wherein the engine is a complementally-opposed-piston engine. 
     
     
       12. In a reciprocating internal combustion engine having (a) one or more cylinders each with at least one piston and at least one exhaust port for releasing exhaust gas substantially directly to the atmosphere and (b) a crankshaft from which conventional mechanical power is derived, the improvement wherein each cylinder includes a high-pressure motor integral and attached in direct contact therewith and a corresponding jet port, the jet port configured to open to release high-pressure exhaust gas to its corresponding high-pressure motor and sized to prevent expansion and cooling of exhaust gases released to the high-pressure motor, the jet port opened only by being uncovered by the position of the piston in the cylinder,
 wherein the jet port being opened to release high-pressure exhaust gas is performed prior to exhaust port release of residual exhaust gas to the atmosphere, thereby recovering additional power from the engine without loss of mechanical power from the crankshaft. 
 
     
     
       13. The reciprocating internal combustion engine of  claim 12  wherein there are more than one of the cylinders. 
     
     
       14. The reciprocating internal combustion engine of  claim 13  wherein each of the high-pressure motors is a high-pressure turbine. 
     
     
       15. The reciprocating internal combustion engine of  claim 13  wherein each of the high-pressure turbines include:
 a case including (a) a cylindrical inner surface, (b) a turbine-inlet conduit formed by the jet port aligned substantially tangential to and terminating at the inner surface, and (c) a turbine-exhaust outlet diverging in cross-section from the inner surface; and 
 a cylindrical rotor having two side walls on opposite sides of the rotor and a peripheral surface rotationally-engaged with the inner surface, the side walls and peripheral surface forming a plurality of angled chambers therein, the peripheral surface and the chambers defining a plurality of circumferentially-spaced chamber openings and between-chamber lands on the peripheral surface, each land configured to close the turbine-exhaust outlet, each chamber having a closed bottom, and each chamber having progressively smaller cross-sectional dimensions toward the chamber opening such that each chamber and the turbine-exhaust outlet, when in communication, form a converging-diverging nozzle. 
 
     
     
       16. The reciprocating internal combustion engine of  claim 15  wherein the progressively smaller cross-sectional dimensions extend toward the chamber opening along a majority of the chamber depth. 
     
     
       17. The reciprocating internal combustion engine of  claim 15  wherein the turbine-exhaust outlets exhaust to atmospheric pressure. 
     
     
       18. The reciprocating internal combustion engine of  claim 15  further including an electrical alternator driven by the high-pressure motors, whereby the engine produces an electrical power output.